Question from a vegetarian: Has anyone benefited from following a non-vegetarian diet?

My GI specialist adviced trying a diet that is the opposite of what I have been consuming to see whether that affects my symptoms. 

I am vegetarian and keep my diet very simple and bland and avoid roughage or raw vegetables.  I have tried a few different vegetarian diets and also started eating eggs.  Though it would take a lot to get me to start eating meat again, I am at the point where I do not want to begin Remicade (my next option) and want to find a solution soon. 

Have any ex-vegetarians felt an improvement from switching to eating fish/chicken/meat or has anyone seen an improvement from consuming more of these items?

Thanks.

I was a veg. seven years PRIOR to DX.  I started to eat meat b/c all veg and fruits were not staying in.  For ME, meat is one of the only things that doesn't hurt that much, stays in and gives me energy--although all my veg. PC friends argue this to death w/me, but it's my quality of life and I'm stickin to it.

I think everyone is different in this, as in pretty much everything about UC. I ate very little meat before I developed UC symptoms. When I was in a bad flare, I craved meat, and especially red meat, terribly - a real change for me. If you want to try his advice, start with maybe a little fish and see how that goes. I suspect that others who have commented are right; any trouble from a vegetarian diet may arise from your diet being high in fiber and gas-producing foods. If you cook the really rough fruits, veggies and grains to break up the cell walls a bit and watch the gassy foods, you may do fine without meat.

I went from being vegan for over 10 years, to what my boyfriend calls seagan. Meaning i still dont eat any dairy or anything but i eat fish and lots of it. i cannot tolerate soy anymore, so no tofu, fake meat, soymilk etc. i have found fish to be one of the only things i can eat while flaring that wont destroy me. plain grilled or baked fish of course. I have found fried foods to actually be my public enemy #1 so NO fish n chips....

but eating lots of protein seems to help, and if you cant tolerate soy or beans that leaves very few options.

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Since being diagnosed I have already been following quite a restricted diet.  For example, I haven't been eating gassy foods, foods with fiber/roughage, spicy, oily meals.  I also stopped drinking caffeine, milk, carbonated drinks, alcohol.  I agree that a nutritionist may still be able to offer some insight to structuring a better diet.  I've kept a detailed food diary for several months and nothing in particular seems to stand out as a trigger food.

My doctor didn't offer many specific recommendations but said that he has told some of his patients to simply try eating the opposite of what they have been eating - with some success.  The two things that came up for me to try first were eggs and fish.  Even eating fish seems like a big deal as I don't feel that I should harm another living being for my own purposes - when I was a meat eater I couldn't relate to this rationale but I'm sure some of the vegetarians out there know where I'm coming from.

Yes, I've also read that meat is much harder to digest than veg; but given that so much is unexplainable about UC, you never know whether some high quality animal protein might offer some relief. 

I'm a Vegan and I can honestly say that it has been the single best thing I've done for my UC. It didnt "Cure" my UC per-se, but the flares I had before I stopped eating meat and dairy were far more aggressive than after.

The thing about vegetarian and veganism is that it HAS to be done correctly, its really easy to slack and just eat tofu and soy meat all the time. You cant base your diet only on soy for a number of reasons, so its important to plan your diet so that there is a variety different nutrition. Also: the notions that its impossible for vegetarians and vegans to get enough protein is a MYTH. In reality, there is a number of beans and legumes that can easily compensate for what meat provides, and too much protein can in fact be a bad thing. Some things I've learned:

- I try to have a different source of protein at each meal, soy meat or tofu for one of them and then something like chickpeas (hummus, mild curry), peanut butter,or lentils for the others. To limit my soy intake, I eat my breakfast cereal with either almond or hemp milk. If you can find Hemp Milk I highly recommend it, its awesome!
- Quinoa is a fantastic source of protein and extremely versatile. It as as much if not more protein than most meats and you don't have to worry about hormones. You cook it like rice and its easy to digest, I usually put a bit of soy sauce in for some flavor. If you've never had it before, get some next time your at whole foods and try it or look it up on Wiki so your aware of its nutritional benefits.
- Vitamin supplements are vital. Be diligent with them. Having UC makes being veg that much harder. Iron for example usually isnt a problem because you can just eat dark greens (kale, broccoli), but for people with UC its kind of out of the question. I take the following supplements: Iron, Multi-v, Calcuim/Magnesium/Zinc.

I'd be happy to help anyone with further questions on this subject, I dont want to be preachy but its a great way to help your body in this process. Feel to contact me for additional info if youd like.